A couple of friends and I got out to the Bahooka Thursday night. We were too late to get a table, but there was no problem hanging at the bar. We enjoyed a few Scorpians and Mai Tais and paid our respects. I wish I could have gotten one more taste of their ribs, but I'm just glad I got to experience the place one last time.

Yesterday, I added more photos to my "Bahooka!" set in anticipation of the final night tonight. Now sadly, I won't have that last cocktail among the flotsam and jetsam of the Pacific that washed up in the San Gabriel Valley four and a half decades ago.

Man! Friday was a long day for me but well worth it. I took a vacation day for a Tiki road trip to say farewell to the Bahooka and stopping at a few other places along the way. I live 3hrs north in Pismo Beach. So here are some photos of that trip.

First stop. Oceanic Arts.

Second stop. The beloved Bahooka. Main reason for this thread.
I have many more pics but I'm only going to post a few.

So when I was at Oceanic Arts I ran into Adrian aka Polynesian Pop on TC. We hung out and showed me some sites.

Kahlua Apts

So we went to L.A and ate in China town. Next stop was the Tiki Ti.

So after that Adrian showed me La Luz De Jesus art gallery and the Good luck bar just around the corner from the Tiki Ti. We called it a night and headed back over to the Bahooka for one last look. I had a great one day trip. Mahalo Adrian for hanging out and Aloha to Bahooka.

_________________
Its quite a dialogue when you intellectual giants get together.
Stay Tiki and Aloha!!!

forgotten tikiman, good for you making that extra effort & that long drive
from Pismo (Your timing was perfect in hindsight)
Adrian is not just good people, he's great people!
looks like you had a time of it.

Pulled this off the web site, so if and when it is shut down, we still have it for posterity's sake here on TC.

When the rustic door opens you have entered your own fantasy… Surrounded by countless fish tanks, it feels like an underwater paradise. With an abundance of Tiki art and naval memorabilia you are now a native in a native land.

The first fish to greet you is Rufus, a thrity-three year old Pacu who has been featured numerous times in newspapers and magazines. Johnny Depp, a famous actor, starred with Rufus in the 1997 movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In a rare interview, Rufus said, "I like carrots, kids, and good looking women!" He is a character!

When you're ready to be seated, the friendly host or hostess will guide you through the trailed maze to your own private booth, each containing its own treasure of ambiance. The menu is an assorted collection of island recipes gathered by the founder, and Rufus's namesake, Captain Rufus. Keep in mind as you're making your ordering decisions, if you come to the BAHOOKA and don't try the ribs, you haven't really been to the BAHOOKA...
As for the drinks… We're often asked the definition of Grog. A Grog is an alcoholic beverage named after a British naval officer, Admiral Vernon, who introduced the drink (rum and water) in 1745.

BAHOOKA means shack; Aloha means many things: love, friendship, good wishes, farewell. The BAHOOKA has been welcoming friends like you since 1967.
As you crossed our threshold, you became shipwrecked on a deserted Island. Or such is the illusion we at BAHOOKA hope to create. It is more than an illusion; it is the inspiration and dreams of a group of people who have gathered all these castoffs so uniquely arranged to create an unusual atmosphere for your dining pleasure. We have created a shack for you. A place where you can enjoy delectable Polynesian ribs and exotic drinks. Our ribs are marinated in our secret formula and slow baked in our Polynesian ovens. Our drinks are concocted from the nectar of the islands gods. Both food and drink are prepared fresh daily for you under the matchless guidance of one of our associates. The food and drinks will speak for themselves, but the surroundings may warrant some explanation.

When the BAHOOKA was in the planning, we scanned the islands to gather much of the decor for our restaurant. Once you enter the BAHOOKA, you feel as if you've left the mainland. The structural bamboo in building has been imported from the Philippines and hand wrapped by the BAHOOKA natives. All lamps were hand crafted from castoffs, port holes, parts of ships, etc., and sprigs of imagination. Globular lanterns are actual glass floats from Japanese fish nets. Blow fish, dried and hollowed, hang with lights. On our ceiling, 400 lights blink at you like distant stars. The tortoise shells are from giant tortoises of the South Pacific. As you are seated for your Island meal, you will find yourself surrounded by exotic fish from over 100 aquariums. *Including a giant Pacu that eats carrots (ask to see him crunch on raw carrots!). Our bar top is a aquarium with turtles inside. At the far end of the dining room, our nautical section, note the beacons of "Port" and "Starboard", the ships flags the mast and, last but not least, the wreck of an old Spanish galleon. On our warrior wall you will note native weapons, spears, etc. And did you ever see such unusual fish tanks? Some you will recognize as old time hand gasoline pumps. Here again, imagination and creativity prevail.

As for a short history of BAHOOKA...
The names have been changed to protect the guilty…
Rufus T. Somethingorother had a love for the ocean, native women, and Grog (Grog probably first). On one of his reasonably assumed intoxicated adventures, Rufus found himself on an island somewhere in the South Pacific. As fate would have it, two days after his arrival he was caught having his way with the King's youngest and most favored daughter, Penelope. The punishment of such a crime was death by booga-booga, which is a most torturing way to go.
When Rufus saw the guards approaching his jail he thought it would be his last day on earth. When the door of cell 515253 slid open and Rufus saw the guardsmen kneel and bow to the floor he thought he was having one of those hallucinations again. It turns out that Princess Penelope told her father that Rufus had actually saved her life and was a very brave man; the witnesses, Googie and Gau Gau had very active imaginations because Rufus had only been trying to give Princess Penelope mouth to mouth in order to revive her.
That night. The historical night. The King had a feast in honor of his daughter's hero. While sitting across from the King, at the very moment just after the past and before the future, Rufus bit into a pork rib that would become the second most famous rib to mankind. Ahhh, the spectacular conception…While Salsa dancing with the King's cousin's husband's niece he was secretly told that Googie and Gau Gau were the ones who had the secret recipe for the preparation of the pork ribs. By this time all the native girls were referring to Rufus as Don Juan Hercules and he had no problem convincing Googie and Gau Gau to set sail with him the following morning.

Well, it sounds like a happy ending; however, it was a bit tragic. It is estimated that about sixty-nine miles off the coast of California, a strong gust of wind blew the mast of the boat causing it to slam in Rufus's face. Googie, thinking Rufus to be dead, screamed, "Where do we go?!"
Rufus, completely misunderstanding, replied, "It's only a nosebleed!" and, like a sack of yams, fell out of the boat never to be heard from again.

Finally reaching the shore, Googie told Gau Gau that Rufus said to go to Rosemead, so here we are!

On 2013-03-10 19:12, Capt. R.H. Falernum wrote:Even though they had already closed, Sotally Tober and I thought we'd stop on by.
Ran into Tiki Al and a few others milling about (with heads hung low) in the parking lot.
Bahooka will be missed.

I did the same thing today around 3ish on my way to the Tonga Hut. There was a hub of activity while I was there. Cars coming and going, folks taking pictures and sharing stories. It's hard to believe that Bahooka is no more.

Last weekend Birdgirl and I made the pilgrimage from NYC to pay our respects to the Bahooka (and see it for the first time too). BigBro was kind enough to join us for lunch and walk us around the place.

We took a ton of pics but none as great as those already posted by others, so I will only inflict a few on you...

Ruffus (I think that's the right spelling) greets Birdgirl with a kiss...

The ship behind the bar...I hope it finds a good home

BigBro sets up another masterpiece

An old menu - check out those drink prices!

the big kahuna!

Farewell Bahooka - I am glad we got there once.
_________________I'm not an alcoholic, I'm an enthusiast.

Nice! In that last shot you really get to see the scale of that Ku Tiki!

I have one last piece of eye candy to share before the sea settles over the sunken ship: This was a test glaze for the Bahooka mug that I as a traditionalist kinda favored, but the other was chosen by the client.

I am glad to have one as a keepsake now. It's got extra quake hold under it

On 2013-03-11 19:06, bigbrotiki wrote:Nice! In that last shot you really get to see the scale of that Ku Tiki!

I have one last piece of eye candy to share before the sea settles over the sunken ship: This was a test glaze for the Bahooka mug that I as a traditionalist kinda favored, but the other was chosen by the client.

I am glad to have one as a keepsake now. It's got extra quake hold under it

[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2013-03-11 19:07 ]

Killa mug Sven Wanna trade for a Trader Sam's barrel mug with only one small chip?
Cheers

I have one last piece of eye candy to share before the sea settles over the sunken ship: This was a test glaze for the Bahooka mug that I as a traditionalist kinda favored, but the other was chosen by the client.